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NRCS chose several projects to fund this year: In Nez Perce, Idaho, the Lewis Soil and Water Conservation District received funding to demonstrate how cover crops hold nutrients in the soil. Five Lewis County farmers will plant cover crop seeding plots to evaluate soil microbial activity before and after the cover crops using soil tests.

Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides is looking to improve habitats for pollinators and beneficial insects. NCAP’s project assists farmers in assessing, designing and installing habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects. Project results will be shared with other farmers through outreach and on-farm demonstrations in southern Idaho areas. With their grant funding, the Twin Falls Soil and Water Conservation District project will grow different cover crop mixes under a range of climate conditions and crop rotations. The Western Agriculture Research grant funding will help farmers around Ashton, Idaho apply field amendments at varying rates depending on the soil’s need.

Here’s spokesperson Alexis Collins: “The Natural Resources Conservation Service awarded Conservation Innovation Grants to four Idaho agriculture groups. These projects will verify new approaches to conserve natural resources on agriculture land and improve agriculture production. The grants provide funding for one- to three-year projects. Our agency works to reduce loss of natural resources on private agriculture land and this program is one way we can tap into the knowledge and innovation of the agriculture community for solutions. The results from these projects are shared through the agriculture community so farmers can apply the concepts to their own operations.”